Opinion

I held the tiny white-edged Polaroid snapshot in my fingers. The edges have darkened over the years, and the color has tinted an odd shade of green.

I’m in the center of the photo, probably no more than 3 or 4 years old, standing in front of an unshapely real Christmas tree. The tree is decorated with lots of shiny objects, accentuated with far too many stringy, silvery icicles.

My hands are folded in delight, with a big smile on my face. Behind me are stacks and stacks of presents.

If I had lived in 70-degree December weather for most of my life, I might be one of the dreamers, too. But living in a place with inches of snow and negative-degree wind chills for my entire childhood no longer leaves me with winter weather desire.

If it snowed back home, it was usually after the New Year. February or March was more likely to be victims of blizzards than November or December.

To the editor: This is a reply to the Gastonia reader’s letter last week about rising rental rates at Holden Beach.

First is my disclaimer: I once rented my beach property at Holden Beach, but I haven't done so in more than 10 years, so I gain no benefit from higher rentals.

Costs of owning beach property have risen dramatically. A vacuum sewer system has been installed for our convenience and the significant cost has been passed on to the homeowners for installation and higher water bills.

Some view disappointments as a prelude to failure; others view disappointments as stepping stones to success.

Most major achievements are born out of failure and disappointments. The space program failed many times before it succeeded. Experimental space rockets crashed and fell back to earth before a reliable space carrier was developed.

Most medical cures are products of multiple test tube failures.

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers failed before they succeeded. Michael Jordan spent six years in the NBA before he won his first championship.

To the editor: If you’ve been reading the Beacon recently, you must know that the Ocean Isle Museum Foundation and Ingram Planetarium are in the midst of a capital campaign that we are pleased to report has received broad based community support.

Dozens of individuals, organizations, businesses, the county, our school system and other municipalities have endorsed us, and in many cases, provided funding. I mention this because at some recent Sunset Beach town meetings, comments were made that implied the community was not supporting our efforts.

To the editor: With all the negative publicity Shallotte Middle School has received, I was considering sending my child to a private school. Not wanting to separate her from friends, I decided to give it a try, while keeping the private schools on the back burner.

Although we are only four months into the school year, I am pleased with my child’s repertoire of teachers.

To the editor: My name is James Saunders. I’m writing to you in regard to the many inmates being held here in the Brunswick County Jail for weeks, even months at a time, after being sentenced to the N.C. Department of Corrections.

[At the time of writing this letter], I will have been here for 17 days waiting to be shipped.

To the editor: I am responding to a recent letter to the editor titled, “Tough times in Brunswick County.” It’s clear Mr. Pruitt never owned a business in a tourist area or he would better understand local merchants.

My husband and I own a restaurant, so I will only respond to that grievance. Over the past two years, one bag of wheat flour jumped 300 percent; ditto for raw chicken, corn and countless other food items.

Insurance rates have doubled (and are on the rise again), utilities have doubled...the list goes on and on.

To the editor: I would like to respond to the letter to the editor by Mr. Thomas J. Stocker of Gastonia in the Dec. 18 issue. He is concerned the “middle-income people are being priced out by overpricing the rentals by the owners and landlords” at Holden Beach.

It is interesting this letter is in the same issue of the paper that has front page headlines insurance for coastal property may go up 50 percent and an op-ed piece by the president and CEO of Carolinas AAA saying that beach insurance premiums should increase by 80-120 percent.

To the editor: I had the pleasure to visit the Calabash Elks Club at its annual Christmas party for boys and girls from 3-11 years of age.

The weather was a balmy 65 degrees—a welcome change from the frigid North Pole. I have many other duties in life and I only do this visit once a year, but I want to convey what a precious time it is to visit these children.

After pizza, Cokes, ice cream and chasing piñata candy, the kids line up to see me. The Elks supply some of these kids with the only gifts they will see this year.

To the editor: Well, 16 years of the Brunswick County Motorcycle Enthusiasts Christmas Toy Run has come and gone. I just want to thank everyone who has sponsored us year after year and all the volunteers who have helped us put this program together. Without their support this could not happen.

I cannot list all the names—it would take too much space. But you and the Lord know who you are. May you all be blessed for your efforts to help others in need.

When I was a freshman in high school, my younger brother brought home a small, black slobbery puppy.

We didn’t have a dog growing up, so his pleas must have resonated with our parents, not wanting to hear 10 years later we were robbed of precious childhood memories of the quintessential family dog. So they caved and let her become part of the family.

A little less than 14 years later, this past Saturday, surrounded by her favorite people and a few tennis balls, Sadie, our family dog, died.